Cash and package carrier



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

LG. BOSTEDO.

GASH AND PACKAGE CARRIER.

No. 372,592. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

g E Nip Ag ci (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. G. BOSTEDO.

I CASH AND PAGKAGB CARRIER. No. 372 592. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

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UNTTE STATES PATENT FFIQE LOUIS GARDNER BOSTEDO, OF ATLANTIC, IO\VA.

CASH AND PACKAGE CARRIER.

E5PECIPICATION forming par: of Letters Patent No. 372,592, dated November 1, 1887.

Application filed April 16, 1887. Serial No. 235,058. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS GARDNER Bos- TEDO, of Atlantic, in the county of Cass and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looking and Releasing Mechanisms forOash and Package Carriers, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in locking and releasing mechanisnrfor the track-section of the elevator of a cash or pack age carrier.

In the cash and package carrying system the invention of L. Bostedo and H. Thomas, filed November 5, 1886, Serial No. 218,080, two tracks are employed whereon to transmit cash or packages from a clerks station to a cashiers stand or a bundlc-table and return the change or bundles to the starting-point or clerksstation, these tracks being placed one directly above the other the upper track being preferably employed to dispatch goods or money from a clerk (0 the cashier or bundleman,and the lower track to return the wrapped parcel or change from a distant point to the clerk. In this system a car is employed that is raised by an elevator to the lower or upper track, as may be desired. In order to facilitate this operation it is necessary to employ an elevator and an attached trackscction, which is made to fit into gaps formed in the lower and upper tracks at a clerks station, this movable bar or trackpiecc being provided with a locking mechanism to secure the elevator track-section in place to line with either track when it is necessary to dispatch or receive the traveling car, which by its momentum is made to automatically unlock the track-section and elevator in case of an incoming car on a lower track and permit the trackscction with the car secured on it to be lowered by the elevator to the hand of the clerk or operator.

The nature and object of my present invention are to improve the mechanism employed to lock and unlock a track-section and render its operationv more reliable or perfect, to-cause the locking device to be automatically put into position, to retain the elevator with this tracksection in a line with the lower or receiving track by the act of raising the elevator with a car on it to the upper track and dispatching this car, and to automatically release the elevator and its attached track-section when itis in a line with the lower track by the momentum of a moving car audits attached packagecarrier arriving from a distant point at a clerks station, the elevator and car on it be ing allowed to drop or be lowered to the hand of a receiver by the automatic release or disengagement of the elevator, as stated.

\Vith these objects in View my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, that will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings making a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the track-section and adjacent lower tracks at a clerks station. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper track ends at a clerks station with the movable track-section raised and the elevator trackseclion in position to dispatch a car. Fig. 3 is a rear view of an elevator track-section with my improved locking and releasing mcchanismin position on it. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the elevator track-section and the adjacent track to which it is connected or supported to line with. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of a modified form of elevator tracksection locking mechanism.

The improved locking mechanism that constitutes my present invention is applicable to cash-carrier systems other than that of Bostedo and Thomas, and I do not limit myself to its application to the latter-named system; but as it is the present intention to so utilize the device, I will proceed to describe the manner of construction and its adaptation to operate with the Bostedo-Thomas system.

A A are the ends of a lower track at a clerks station, and B the elevator track-section bar in tum, ,to be afterward expended in giving a starting-impulse to an outgoing car on the upper track when the elevator is raised to line its attached track-section with this upper track. I will first briefly describe this mechanism. A slot, 5, is made through the bar B,that is parallel with thetop and bottom edges of said bar and of sufficient length to afford freedom for the sliding of working parts in the same. a

A ratchet-bar, O, is placed in the recess cut in the bar B. It has its edges cut away to reduce frictional contact. The portions a a b b that remain serve as guides to keep the bar in position.

Integral with the bar 0 the portion D isle x tended at one end and cut with ratchet-teeth on its upper edge, the lower edge having a sliding contact with the flange formed on the bar B by a reduction of its body to produce a recess.

The guide-plate D is fixed to the ratchetbar C at right angles to its edges and has projecting flanges formed on its free edges to hold in place and permit the sliding movement of the engaged ends of the latches E F. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) The latch E is pivoted at E to the ratchet-bar O, and, as just stated, its free end is held to slide vertically a short distance, the upward movement being limited by the flange 0 of the bar B and its depression by an engagement of the projecting end 0 with a shoulder formed on the guide-plate D.

Near the pivot end E of the latch E a spring, E is made tobear on its upper edge to cause it to rest with its latch-toe d projecting below the lower edge of the bar B. The latch F is also pivoted to the ratchet-bar G at e and rests on the studs 6, the spring'f serving to depress the latch when it is raised.

An extended arm, G, is pivoted atg to the bar B, and has a toe formed on the end 9 to engage the ratchet-teeth cut in the bar 0. The end h of the arm G is made to extend beyond the termination of the elevator track-section bar B, and is intended to have contact with a stud, h, (see Fig. 2,) made to project from the end A of the upper track that is near the gap formed in this track for' the reception of the elevator track-section.

In Fig. 3 the reverse or rear side of the ele- Vator track-section bar B is shown with the locking devices attached, which I shall now describe.

H is a plate that is secured by screws 76 or any proper means to the ratchet-bar 0, located on the opposite side of the track-section bar B, the screws 7g passing through the slot 2' into the ratchet-bar O, a liner being introduced or other means employed to permit an easy sliding of thesejoined pieces on the bar B. The plate H has an extension, H, made on its top edge to project toward the end of the bar 13, and is slotted to produce an elongated groove nearly throughout its length. In the rectangular portion of the plate H a diagonal slot, H, is cut to extend from the lower edge of the plate on such an incline upwardly toward the slot in portion H as to intersect it and produce in this way a cam-groove at the inner terminus of the elongated slot. At the lower end of the cam-groove H a shortextension of this slot is made to project horizontally.

At each end .of the bar B the hooks m are pivoted to vibrate and extend their hooked ends beyond the bar to engage the studs m, that project from the face of the adjacent track ends A A of the lower track.

The T-shaped lever I is pivoted to the body of the bar B, a washer being introduced between the surfaces of they lever and bar to afford a proper clearance of the limbs of the lever and permit the engagement of the longer limb, 0, with the cam-groove H by a projecting stud that is rigidly affixed to the end of the limb o of lever I on its inner surface.

The T-head extensions n n of the lever I are made of proper length to give required movement to the connecting bars M, which have their ends pivotally attached to these extensions and their opposite ends affixed at m to the hooks m, as shown in Fig. 30f the drawlngs.

A spiral spring, .9, is made to encircle a rod, 8, that is secured by one end to the plate H, and is extended to enter a supportingbox or perforated stud, t, which is made to project from the side of the bar B, the spring 8 being thus adapted to exert its tensional strength upon the plate H when it is compressed and released suddenly.

In operation, the elevator with its track-section B being in position to line with a lower track, when a car runs upon the elevator track-section a pin that projects from its side engages the latch-toe d of the latch E and slides the ratchet-bar O. This endwise movement compresses the spring 8, located upon the opposite side of the bar B. The teeth of the ratchet-bar 0, being engaged by the toe g of the arm G, will hold this spring compressed; and as this spring acts as a bufier, the car is gently arrested and locked on the elevator track-section by the latches E F resuming their normal position. v

\Vhen a car is arrested and secured, as has just been described, thesliding of the ratchetbar 0 will cause a corresponding movement of the plate H, and in consequence the lever I will be vibrated, its engaged limb 0 will be elevated, and the connecting-bars M be moved to retract the hooks m, thus disengaging them from their contact with the studs m and al-' lowing the elevator and its track section B to descend to the counter or hand of the operator.

The provision of the cam grooved and slotted plate H H, with its connected lever l, affords peculiar advantages, as it will compensate for the varying momentum given a car by a light or heavy load, and will disengage or unlock the elevator and track-section with alight shock that will cause the arm to rise in the cam-groove in plate H to its top, as well as a harder thrust that will so compress the spiral ioo spring 8 as to make the plate H slide a con siderable distance, the engaged end of the lever I traveling in the groove H of the plate. In either case the hooks mare withdrawn from locked contact with the studs in" by the action of the cam-groove in plate H, so that the i111- pact of a heavyloaded car isabsorbt-al by the spring and a regular reliable action of the unlocking mechanism is assured. When the earis to be dispatched, the elevator, with its attached track-section is raised by any proper means to line with an upper or dispatching track. The collision of the extended arm G with a projecting stud on the end of the track will depress this arm and release its toe from the ratchet-teeth of the bar G. The released spiral spring 8 will exert its energy upon the plate H and attached bar C, causing the car to receiv a starting impetus.

A further result of the action just described will be the projection of the hooks in beyond the end of the bar B toengage the studs m and hold the track-section and unattached elevator in an alzgned position with the lowertrack to receive a car.

In Fig. 5 a modifi d form of the lot-king bars is shown. In this method of construction the counectingbars M aresi inplyextended and held in sliding position on the bar B by loops or clips to, which are fastened to this bar. The operation is analogous to that shown in the preferred form of construction, as a retrao tion ofthe bars M by the movement of the lever I will withdraw its projecting ends from their bearing-coi'itact upon the studs m and allow the elevator track-section and the attached elevator to descend to the counter, as was shown in the other form of locking mechanism.

Slight changes might be made in the details of construction ot this deviee-as, for instance, the connecting'bars shown as locking-bars in Fig. 5 might be slotted near their ends to receive a screw in place of using the loops to to support and retain these bars in place, and instead of using a slotted extension, H, and the cam-groovein plate H a baror wire might be substituted to take the place of the slotted groove, and a swivel-box be fixed upon the limb of the T-headed lever I to slide on this wire or bent guide-rod, and thus obtain the same results afforded by the cam-grooved plate and stud sliding in it.

Other slight modifications might be made in the constructive details of this device without departure from its spirit and legitimate scope; hence I do not wish to restrict myself to exact forms shown; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a locking and releasing device for the elevator track-section of a cash and package carrier, the combination, with a track-section bar, of a pivoted lever engaging a cam-grooved plate and two connecting-bars, the said lever adapted to move the bars to lock or release the elevator tracksection, substantially as set set forth.

2. In an elevator track section bar, the combination, with a track-bar, of a pivoted T- shaped lever, a cam-grooved plate having a straight slotted extension, two connecting-bars pivoted to the T-lever, and two pivoted hooks loosely attached to the connecting-bars, substantially as set forth.

3. In an elevator track-section, the combi nation. with a trackdiar, a cam grooved plate mounted thereon, and an elongated slotted eX- tcnsion of the cant-grooved plate. of aT-headod pivoted lever having one of its limbs in sliding engagement withthemnn-grooveinthegrooved and slotted plate, two connectingbars pivoted to the T-headed lever. and a spiral spring to move the parts, substautiallyas set forth.

4. In an elevator track section bar. the combination of a track-bar, a cant-grooved plate having a slotted extension at one side, a T headed lever pivoted to the track-bar and having one of its limbs in sliding engagement with the cam grooved and slotted plate, two connectingbars pivoted to the T-head of this lever, and hooks pivoted to the track-bar and loosely connected to the connecting-bars, substantially as set forth.

5. In an elevator track-section bar, the

combination of a slotted track-bar, a can1- grooved plate adapted to slide on the bar and secured through the slot to a ratchet-bar l0 eated on the opposite side of the bar, a T- headed lever engaging the cam-grooved plate, two conneetingbars pivoted to the T-headed lever, two books pivoted to the track-bar and loosely secured to the connecting-bars, and a spiral spring to move the eam-grooved plate, hooks, and ratchet-bar, substantially as set forth.

6. In an elevator track-section bar, the combination, with a track bar slotted longitudinally, a ratchet-bar, an extended arm, and two pivoted and springactuatcd latches, of a cam grooved and slotted plate secured through the slot in the track-bar to the ratchet-bar, a T-lieaded lever, two connecting oars, two hooks, and a spiral spring, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS G ARDNER BOSTEDO.

\"Vitnesses:

BYRON M. FnLLows, J. W. MAcGEAGH.

IIO 

